Buried in Herbs

[orleansrunner1962]

Our herbs are out of control in our garden -- wondering if I can freeze them, and what the process would be????

Basil, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary......

Once I gather them, do I need to let them dry out before I freeze them? What do I do????

[Spirit Unleashed]

Our herbs are out of control in our garden -- wondering if I can freeze them, and what the process would be????

Basil, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary......

Once I gather them, do I need to let them dry out before I freeze them? What do I do????

Hang cutting upside down in some place like dry cool area. They'll dry nicely.

[Jwolf]

Ooh... Can I have some fresh basil?

With the basil you can make pesto and freeze it.

In general you can dry any of them and store them sealed without freezing. I just don't know the optimal way of drying but I'll ask my MIL later.

Mint and parsley seem to grow like crazy and I never have enough things to do with them.

We also have rosemary our of control- again I'll ask my MIL what we're going to do with those.

[Babaloo]

If your rosemary isn't too big, pot it up and bring it inside for the winter. Place in a sunny location and water. When spring rolls around, bring it out on the nice days to acclimatize it but back in the house during the colder nights, then replant in the garden or leave it in the pot, I do this with rosemary and thyme - they're both in pots so its easy to transport them in and out, that is until they get too big after which time I'll toss them and start all over again. If they're already in pots, tender herbs like basil, marjoram and parsley can be brought inside before the frost damages them. They'll be good for a few weeks but will eventually die off.

[Jwolf]

After consulting with my resident expert, the best way to dry them is just to tie a small bunch together by the stems and hang in a dry area somewhere. Thats easy for us to do here in the summer but I'm not sure if it's dry enough in Ottawa.

IMO parsley isn't really worth drying- what would you use it for dry? Mint is good for tea if you like that flavor. The others can be ground up and used dried just like the commercial dried spices you buy- just keep them really well sealed to keep the flavor.

[orleansrunner1962]

After consulting with my resident expert, the best way to dry them is just to tie a small bunch together by the stems and hang in a dry area somewhere. Thats easy for us to do here in the summer but I'm not sure if it's dry enough in Ottawa.

IMO parsley isn't really worth drying- what would you use it for dry? Mint is good for tea if you like that flavor. The others can be ground up and used dried just like the commercial dried spices you buy- just keep them really well sealed to keep the flavor.

Thank you -- will give it a "go".....

[Spirit Unleashed]

tie a small bunch together by the stems and hang

this is what I meant by hang upside down.

[Jwolf]

tie a small bunch together by the stems and hang

this is what I meant by hang upside down.

sorry I missed your post before!

Yea this is the way.

[Avis]

tie a small bunch together by the stems and hang

this is what I meant by hang upside down.

As opposed to the garderner hanging upside down!

This is what I do with basil, oregano and mint. It's easy and they taste better than the dried herbs in the store. I don't dry parsley--just don't like the taste. Too bad, 'cause that stuff is sure growing like a weed this summer!

[toobusy]

You could make a pesto out of something other then basil - as an exeriment! http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/oregano-pesto-10000000346766/

[gnu]

I know I have picked up frozen herbs at the grocery store, so I had a peek around. There are tons of articles out there about it, but this one is simple and concise: http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenw ... herbs.html

[orleansrunner1962]

Great ideas here everyone -- thank you!!!